Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel had not agreed to any ceasefire or prisoner exchange with Hamas, ahead of the anticipated release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander.
According to a source, the release of Alexander, the last surviving U.S. hostage held in Gaza, was expected on Monday, a day after Israel was told of Hamas’ decision to do so in a goodwill gesture to President Donald Trump.
The release, after four-way talks between Hamas, the United States, Egypt and Qatar, could open the way to freeing the rest of the 59 hostages still held in Gaza.
But Netanyahu said Israel had only agreed to allow safe passage for Alexander and its forces would continue recently announced preparations to step up operations there.
“The negotiations will continue under fire, during preparations for an intensification of the fighting,” his office said in a statement, adding that military pressure had forced Hamas to make the release.
Hamas-US Talks
The unexpected news of talks between Hamas and the United States came shortly before Trump is set to leave for a visit to the Gulf that does not include a stop in Israel.
On Sunday, Hamas said it had been talking with the United States and had agreed to release Alexander, a move that key Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt called an encouraging step towards a return to ceasefire talks in the war-torn enclave.
In a statement, Alexander’s family thanked Trump and his special envoy Steve Witkoff, saying they hoped the decision would open the way for the release of the other hostages, only 21 of whom are believed to be alive.
“We urge the Israeli government and the negotiating teams: please don’t stop,” they added.
U.S. officials have tried to calm fears in Israel of a growing distance between Israel and Trump, who last week announced an end to a U.S. campaign against the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, who have continued to fire missiles at Israel.
Families of the hostages and their supporters in Israel have pressed the government to reach a deal to secure the release of those still held in Gaza but Netanyahu has faced heavy pressure from hardliners in his cabinet not to end the war.
Ceasefire Deal
Last week, he announced plans to step up the operation in Gaza, which officials said could be seized entirely by Israeli forces, but said they would not start until Trump wraps up his visit.
Following a ceasefire agreement that halted fighting in Gaza for two months and allowed the exchange of 38 hostages for Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli jails, Israel resumed its operation in the enclave in March.
Since then, it has extended its control of the territory, clearing around a third as what it has described as a “security zone” and blocked off the entry of aid into Gaza, leaving the 2 million population increasingly short of food.
The newly appointed U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee last week outlined plans for a new system of aid deliveries by private contractors that would not be run by Israel, but many details remain unclear, including who would provide funding.
Much of Gaza lies in ruins some 19 months after Israeli forces invaded the territory in retaliation for the Hamas-led assault on Israel on Oct 7, 2023 that killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage.
Since then, more than 52,000 Palestinians have been killed and virtually the entire population has been forced to move multiple times as the fighting and bombardment has continued around it, destroying large swathes of the enclave.
(With inputs from Reuters)
